In the dentistry profession, it is recognized that establishing proper occlusion for a patient is closely interrelated with condylar position of the mandible created by the tempero mandibular joint. Correct location of the condyles reflects the health and comfort of the patient. Not only the position of the joint, but movement as well, is complex and of extreme importance to the dentist. This is particularly so in the case of certain dental procedures.
For example, extensive restoration in natural teeth involves knowledge of the position of the condyles in the tempero mandibular joint. Secondly, patients suffering from tempero mandibular joint syndrome usually demonstrate hypomobility of one or both condyles. The recording of this hypomobility as a record which is an aid in diagnosing the syndrome and subsequent follow-up recordings after treatment will enable the dentist to establish the success of the therapy. Another possibility is the recording of pertinent data for each individual patient which then can be transferred to a dental articulator which will imitate these movements to a great degree of accuracy thus allowing a model of the patient which can be utilized in the laboratory.
Various methods for adjusting occlusion are presently in use involving clinical judgment and evaluation and utilization of factors such as tooth mobility, abnormal wear patterns, and X-ray findings of a widened periodontal ligament space. However it has been learned that in using these various accepted techniques to obtain a true centric relation wherein all teeth of both jaws meet normally with perfect distribution of forces throughout the dental arch, there may result differing relations indicating that additional unfavorable factors need to be taken into consideration. So far as is known, no presently disclosed systems in the art are capable of providing the desired information.